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This is my first post on the forum. I hope everybody is well.
So, I'm about to buy a 993 C2 TIP, 9000km, nice overall condition. But there is some leaking going on. According to the seller the car has been parked on the same spot for 10 days without any drops on the floor + the in-house mechanic told me that for 500 EUR he can change two seals and most will be solved. I'm attaching a couple of pictures. I really appreciate the feedback, the plan is to buy it this weekend.
With all that cosmoline on the undercarriage and low res photos, hard to tell what’s what. One thing for sure, your lower valve cover seals are leaking as evidenced by oil stains on the heat exchangers.
I agree that the oil on the heat exchangers is evident of lower valve cover seals/ gaskets. However the oil/wetness on the front of the case looks like real main seal as well. Nothing else typically causes wetness at this location (mating between engine and transmission). Requires dropping the trans.
These Tip tranny are pretty robust. Haven’t heard much of leaking issues. Hard to tell without laying eyes on it here but this could be just an extra dose of cosmoline from the factory that has collected some road debris.
Again same here. These could be leaks or just extra gunk collected over the years. Are these areas damp/moist?
Lower valve cover is very wet, dripping oil onto your anti roll bar and bushings, etc. Lower VC seals aren’t hard to DIY at all.
The story makes sense. Bad valve cover gaskets don't usually leak on the floor but drip onto the heat exchangers and burn off. And 500 eur is probably an ok price for this very routine repair. Assuming that's the true cause, there's no red flag here about purchase.
In my book, there are only two reasons to fix an oil leak.
--One is if it is dripping on the exhaust burning and smell. These leaks are from the valve covers easy to access and inexpensive to replace the seal as the cover never needs replacement. Only the valve cover(s) that is proving to be leaking needs to have its seal replaced.
--The other is it is dripping on the floor and it bothers you. I would hose off the bottom of the engine with a spray electric motor/electronic cleaner and then evaluate where and how much is leaking.
A weeping leak that just makes the case a little oily is not really an issue. One can spend a lot of money chasing down leaks unnecessarily.
Also, a rarely run car that leaks apparently will, after a bit of regular driving may simply stop as some here on Rennlist have experienced.
Andy
In my book, there are only two reasons to fix an oil leak.
--One is if it is dripping on the exhaust burning and smell. These leaks are from the valve covers easy to access and inexpensive to replace the seal as the cover never needs replacement. Only the valve cover(s) that is proving to be leaking needs to have its seal replaced.
--The other is it is dripping on the floor and it bothers you. I would hose off the bottom of the engine with a spray electric motor/electronic cleaner and then evaluate where and how much is leaking.
A weeping leak that just makes the case a little oily is not really an issue. One can spend a lot of money chasing down leaks unnecessarily.
Also, a rarely run car that leaks apparently will, after a bit of regular driving may simply stop as some here on Rennlist have experienced.
Andy
That might be one of the reasons, actually the car hasn't been run for the last 3 years before the dealer brought it in.
If in fact the car only has 9000KM on the clock.... that low mileage means it has done a lot of just sitting. These cars do better when you run them! I would expect a lot of seals, gaskets, etc to be dried out from all that sitting....doesn't mean its a bad purchase but you would need to plan on maintenance. Even a car with more miles would see some of that same thing just from age. Valve cover gaskets, timing chain covers, etc. are common leak sites on these cars.
Completely agree with this statement. When the car sits, it leaks. Think of it as a shedding tears for not being driven..
Another thing to do is a proper oil change. The PO put way too thin oil in mine. Once i changed the oil and cleaned things up, several of leaks were 'gone' (meaning ~1 drop every 2 weeks), and another presented itself as a priority to fix (For me it was the thermostat housing and the hose from the filler to the reservoir.)
Originally Posted by stace
If in fact the car only has 9000KM on the clock.... that low mileage means it has done a lot of just sitting. These cars do better when you run them! I would expect a lot of seals, gaskets, etc to be dried out from all that sitting....doesn't mean its a bad purchase but you would need to plan on maintenance. Even a car with more miles would see some of that same thing just from age. Valve cover gaskets, timing chain covers, etc. are common leak sites on these cars.
11-18-2021, 08:59 PM
Buying my first 993 C2 TIP, oil leak question
